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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 11, 2022 3:30:08 GMT -5
J.D. ends HR drought, defying new nickname Red Sox slugger, recently dubbed 'Ichiro' by team, proves he still has power, too 18 minutes ago Ian Browne
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne
SEATTLE -- How fitting it was that in the land where Ichiro Suzuki raked a path that will eventually land him in the Hall of Fame, J.D. Martinez at last snapped a power outage that had become a source of humor within the Red Sox.
What does Martinez have to do with Ichiro?
Well, members of the Red Sox -- most notably manager Alex Cora -- had been sticking Martinez with the “Ichiro” moniker as the slugger's homer drought stretched from days to weeks, but his batting average went from .325 to .351 in the 19 consecutive games he didn’t go deep.
After the Red Sox edged the Mariners, 4-3, on Friday night at T-Mobile Park, Cora quipped, “Ichiro transformed to J.D. today.”
Martinez’s solo home run in the third inning ended a span of 92 plate appearances and 78 at-bats without a homer.
This, from a man who has 272 career homers.
The last time Martinez had that long a cup of coffee between long balls? June 23, 2013-May 18, 2014. That was back when Martinez was trying to find himself as a player and even got released by the Astros, eventually signing with the Tigers in the middle of that drought.
When Martinez got back to the dugout after his first home run trot since May 17, there was ... laughter.
“It felt good. I started laughing. Everybody was laughing about it in the dugout,” said Martinez, who has only six home runs this season but an impressive .967 OPS.
Prior to the game, former Red Sox icon Dustin Pedroia was kidding with Martinez about his new style of hitting. This, thanks to Cora, who had connected with Pedroia on a video chat and was taking his phone around the clubhouse so current Boston players could get an earful from their old teammate.
“You look like me hitting line drives the other way,” Pedroia hollered to Martinez. “Stay right there. Win a batting title.”
“He was just talking crap. He’s just Pedey,” Martinez said.
All kidding aside, what exactly happened to Martinez during this interesting stretch when he was a hit machine but lacked his usual pop?
“It’s just my swing and my bat angle. That’s been the common denominator. That’s why I’ve had success, being able to lift the ball,” Martinez said. “So it’s just been grinding on that. It’s one of those things where you get stuck in between.
“What’s the expression? You want to leave the pond when you’re catching little fish to go to a bigger pond and catch bigger fish? And then you get lost along the way. It’s one of those things where I don’t want to get too lost, because I was doing something well [hitting for average] and I was having success. But at the same time, [power] is an important part of my game.”
Yes, Martinez was one of the leaders of the new launch-angle revolution that came into MLB a few years back, and that’s what gives him a charge as a baseball player. He’s not ready to go the way of Ichiro, who hit 117 homers in 10,734 at-bats in MLB.
If not for all the ribbing from teammates, Martinez might not have even been aware of his batting average. Clearly, that’s not what makes him tick.
“I just try to look at the hard contact, that’s it,” Martinez said.
Agent Scott Boras, who represents the 34-year-old Martinez, a free agent this coming offseason, had minimal concern when the righty slugger stopped leaving the yard for a bit.
“His metrics are awesome,” Boras told MLB.com in Anaheim earlier this week. “Line-drive rate, his barrel rate, sweet-spot rate, all these things are like he’s 28 in his prime. Great hitter.”
The way it works with power hitters, nobody will be surprised if Friday winds up being the start of a surge of homers for Martinez.
“We know he’s going to start hitting the ball in the air and the ball is going to go and he’s going to be the hitter that we always see,” Cora said. “This version of J.D. is still really good, with the on-base percentage and grinding out at-bats.”
But the best version of Martinez is the guy who clears the fences.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 11, 2022 3:32:18 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25
Red Sox are 31-28. Boston can win all three series on the trip with one more victory in Seattle.
Tanner Houck rode the rollercoaster in the 9th and survived for a save.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 11, 2022 3:33:27 GMT -5
Adam Pellerin @adampellerin · 3h All four of Bobby Dalbec's homeruns this year have given the Red sox the lead. The Sox won the previous three games.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 11, 2022 3:52:09 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK Red Sox place Garrett Whitlock on 15-day IL with hip inflammation By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated June 10, 2022, 9:30 p.m.
SEATTLE — The Red Sox on Friday placed righthander Garrett Whitlock on the 15-day injured list with inflammation in his right hip.
The move, retroactive to Thursday, means the Sox will need a starter for Sunday’s game against Seattle. Manager Alex Cora said that decision would depend on bullpen use in the first two games of the series.
“We’re talking about it,” he said. “It all depends on what we do. We could go with a bullpen day.”
Whitlock is 2-1 with a 3.51 earned run average in 13 games, and 1-1 with a 4.15 in nine starts.
For now the Sox are still planning to start Nate Eovaldi on Tuesday against Oakland at Fenway Park. That would give him an extra day off to allow the soreness in his right hip to dissipate.
But Eovaldi was sent back to Boston to see a specialist. He pitched five shutout innings against the Angels on Wednesday but averaged only 94 miles per hour with his fastball, down from 96.4 in his previous start.
Rob Refsnyder arrives
One of the first moves Chaim Bloom made as chief baseball officer of the Red Sox was selecting infielder Jonathan Araúz from Houston in the 2019 Rule 5 Draft.
Araúz showed flashes of talent during the shortened 2020 season, starting 17 of the 25 games he played in. But uneven results since led to his being designated for assignment on Friday to make room for outfielder Rob Refsnyder.
Refsnyder started in right field and led off against lefthander Marco Gonzalez. He’s likely to start Sunday against another lefty, Robbie Ray.
Cora suggested that Refsnyder is not a temporary addition. With Kiké Hernández going on the injured list Thursday, the only outfielders the Sox had were Jackie Bradley Jr., Franchy Cordero and Alex Verdugo and Verdugo is dealing with a sore knee.
Refsnyder, 31, was with the Sox from April 19-29, appearing in three games and going 2 for 5 with two doubles. He has hit .306 with a .952 OPS in 42 games for the Woo Sox this season. His .429 on-base leads the team.
That Refsnyder returned underscores the Sox would prefer not to use J.D. Martinez in the outfield unless necessary.
The Sox needed a 40-man roster spot for Refsnyder and Araúz was a fairly obvious choice to go. The 23-year-old has hit .160 in 75 at-bats since the start of the 2021 season and was 0 for 10 this season.
Araúz hit .185 with a .482 OPS in 24 games for Worcester. The Sox now have seven days to trade Araúz or clear him through waivers and outright him to the minors. It would be a surprise if he were claimed given his poor performance the last two seasons. Michael Wacha up next
The idea that Michael Wacha would be a candidate for the All-Star team seemed highly unlikely when the season started. The Sox were his fourth team in as many years and he was signed for one year and $7 million compiling a 5.05 earned run average for Tampa Bay in 2021.
Now Wacha is 4-1 with a 1.99 earned run average and 0.91 WHIP through nine starts. The Sox are 7-2 in games he has started.
Among pitchers with at least 49 innings, Wacha is ninth in ERA after his 105-pitch shutout of the Angels on Monday. Opponents have hit only .172 against the 30-year-old righthander.
Wacha is scheduled to face the Mariners on Saturday night. He started against Seattle on May 20 at Fenway Park, allowing two runs over 4⅔ innings in a game the Sox won, 7-3.
Wacha has gone at least five innings without allowing more than one earned run in five of his nine starts. In action
Chris Sale threw a bullpen at the team complex in Fort Myers, Fla., on Friday and will face hitters on Monday. James Paxton, who is with the team, is scheduled for a bullpen session on Saturday. He is returning from Tommy John surgery. Lefty reliever Josh Taylor, out all season with a back injury, will rejoin the team next week to continue his rehab work. That will include facing hitters … Trevor Story’s conversion to second base passes more than the eye test. His six defensive runs saved are third in the majors … The Sox moved righthander Bryan Mata to High A Greenville to continue his rehab assignment. The 23-year-old is coming back from Tommy John surgery … The Mariners activated righthander Erik Swanson from the 15-day injured list and optioned lefthander Anthony Misiewicz to Triple A Tacoma.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 11, 2022 3:55:20 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 2h #RedSox now 7-1 on their West Coast trip. They hadn't done that since an 8-3 trip in 1995.
A few other #RedSox tidbits:
* They've won 12 of 16 on the road.
* In the last 9 games following a loss, the starters have a 2.24 ERA.
* Sox 5-0 vs. Seattle this season and have outscored them 37-21.
* Sox are 16-5 vs. the AL West.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 11, 2022 3:59:07 GMT -5
Alex Speier @alexspeier · 4h Dalbec's last 14 games: .293/.348/.561 with 3 HR, 5 XBH. He has a 28.3% K rate in that time, slightly higher than where it had been (27.7%) through 5/25, but the contact has been solid against a variety of pitches and velocities.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 11, 2022 4:11:03 GMT -5
Red Sox @ Mariners Saturday, 11th June 2022 10pm @ Safeco Field
Wacha 4-1/1.99
Kirby 1-1/3.38
Boston Red Sox vs. Seattle Mariners Saturday, June 11, 2022 at 10:10pm EDT Written by Bosun Akinpelu
The Boston Red Sox (30-27) will be going for their eighth consecutive win when they face the Seattle Mariners (26-31) in the second game of their three-game series on Saturday night.
Michael Wacha, 4-1, 1.99 ERA, will get the start for the Red Sox. The Mariners will counter with George Kirby, 1-1, 3.38 ERA.
Boston is 8-2 in its last 10 games against Seattle.
**This preview was written before Friday’s game was played**
Red Sox Going For Ninth Win In 11 Games The Red Sox played well over the past week and come into this game on a seven-game winning streak. They will try to keep the momentum going with a win over the Mariners, which will give them their eighth win in a row and ninth win in their last 11 games.
Boston is averaging 4.74 runs per game. Their .259 batting average is third in the league. Their .317 on base percentage is 12th, while their .415 slugging percentage is sixth.
J.D. Martinez leads Boston with a .353 batting average. Rafael Devers leads the team with 12 home runs, while Trevor Story leads the team with 41 RBI.
Boston’s pitching has been good, with the team giving up 4.02 runs per game. Opponents have a .226 batting average against the Red Sox, which is eighth in the league. Their 3.61 ERA is eighth, while their 1.16 WHIP is seventh.
In his last start, Wacha pitched a complete game, giving up three hits and no runs in nine innings to get a 1-0 win over Los Angeles. They will need a similar effort from him if they want to get the win.
Mariners Going For Fourth Win In Five Games The Mariners played well over the past week, winning three of their last four games. They will try to keep the momentum going with a win over the Red Sox, which will give them their fourth win in their last five games.
Seattle is averaging 4.14 runs per game. Their .238 batting average is 17th in the league. Their .321 on base percentage is ninth, while their .388 slugging percentage is 17th.
Ty France leads Seattle with a .327 batting average and 38 RBI, while Eugenio Suarez leads the team with 11 home runs.
Seattle’s pitching hasn’t been very good, with the team giving up 4.33 runs per game. Opponents have a .244 batting average against the Mariners, which is 17th in the league. Their 4.11 ERA is 21st, while their 1.28 WHIP is 17th.
In his last start, Kirby gave up five hits and two runs in six innings, leading to a 6-5 win over Texas. They will need another solid start from him if they want to win this game.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 11, 2022 7:26:55 GMT -5
Don't look now but Bobby Dalbec is starting to hit
By Rob Bradford WEEI 93.7 2 hours ago Mookie Betts explains his love for Boston
The reminder came in the form of the biggest hit of the Red Sox' 4-3 win over the Mariners Friday night.
On a 2-1 count, Bobby Dalbec lead off the seventh inning with blast that would give the Red Sox the lead for good. In a stretch for the Red Sox that has been littered with positive signs, this was the latest.
It was surely a nice feeling for the first baseman considering much of his upbringing came in Seattle area. But it was an even better vibe for the Sox considering how long they have been waiting for this version of Dalbec - who finds himself north of .200 for the first time since the fifth game of the season - to emerge.
The home run was Dalbec's fourth of the season, which each one having handed the Red Sox a lead.
The blast also helped keep the momentum Dalbec has discovered on this current road trip going. During the West Coast swing, the righty hitter has managed a .318 batting average (7-for-20) and .930 OPS.
The resurgence has been a welcome addition to the Red Sox' turnaround for a variety of reasons, including because the other first base option - Franchy Cordero - has suddenly started to struggle. Cordero doesn't have a hit in his last five games and is just 3-for-24 on the road trip.
Also helping matters this time around was the rediscovery of another Red Sox power threat. For the first time in 92 plate appearances, J.D. Martinez went deep. The home run drought - which dated back to May 17 - was his longest since 2014.
“It’s just my swing and my bat angle. That’s been the common denominator. That’s why I’ve had success, being able to lift the ball,” Martinez told MLB.com. “So it’s just been grinding on that. It’s one of those things where you get stuck in between.
“What’s the expression? You want to leave the pond when you’re catching little fish to go to a bigger pond and catch bigger fish? And then you get lost along the way. It’s one of those things where I don’t want to get too lost, because I was doing something well [hitting for average] and I was having success. But at the same time, [power] is an important part of my game.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 11, 2022 7:29:43 GMT -5
Tanner Houck, new Boston Red Sox closer? Not yet but role is up for grabs and he has ‘Wiffle Ball’ stuff to take it Published: Jun. 11, 2022, 5:06 a.m.
By Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
SEATTLE — Tanner Houck made it somewhat interesting in the ninth when he hit leadoff hitter Ty France and allowed a bloop single to J.P. Crawford.
“I put myself in that trouble,” Houck said. “Next time, maybe make it a little bit smoother.”
He ultimately did his job, recording a save in a one-run game. The Red Sox beat the Mariners 4-3 here at T-Mobile Park on Friday to improve to 7-1 on the 10-game West Coast road trip.
“He wants to pitch in situations like this,” manager Alex Cora said. “He likes it. And he’ll be ready for his next inning, whenever it is.”
Houck added, “It was fun. It gets the heart rate going a little bit more. But I enjoy it. I like those opportunities. I like being out there and trying to help the team win. So I really had fun with it tonight.”
Is Houck the new Red Sox closer? Cora is not naming a set closer just yet.
It sounds like both Houck and Matt Strahm, who closed out Boston’s 1-0 win Wednesday, will receive save opportunities. Strahm pitched the eighth inning and recorded a hold Friday.
“The stuff, you see it. The sinker and the four-seamer and the slider,” Cora said about Houck. “I’m not going to say he’s going to close. We closed with Strahmy before. But we had all those switch-hitters in the eighth and that was the way we drew it up. And those two guys are throwing the ball well.”
Cora said back on April 20 that he eventually would like to name a set closer.
“I would love with time somebody to step up,” Cora said back then.
Houck has that opportunity right now. He needs to take it.
“I feel like it’s one of those positions, it’s up for grabs,” J.D. Martinez said. “If he wants it, grab it. You always see those bullpen spots, it always happens. It’s just waiting for that one guy to step up and claim it.”
The Red Sox initially wanted Houck to pitch in a multi-inning relief role. But they have determined he has more value as a high-leverage, late-inning reliever.
“I think where we’re at pitching-staff wise, losing him for three or four days (after a multi-inning outing) puts us in a bad spot,” Cora said. “And that’s the way we see it. We’ve been talking about it. We just have to be responsible with him.”
Cora said he won’t use Houck on back-to-back days if the righty pitches two innings. But he said “there’s a good chance” Houck will be available on back-to-back days after one-inning outings.
“We’re going to maximize his talent and give him high-leverage situations,” Cora said.
Houck certainly has the stuff to be a closer.
“The ball’s just like a Wiffle Ball,” Martinez said. “Sinks. Takes off. You don’t know what it’s going to do. Go sideways. All over the place.”
Houck said he would embrace the closer role if Cora asked him to do it.
“I’ll do whatever I need to do to help us win in the given game-by-game situation,” Houck said. “So if that’s what AC calls me upon to do, I’d love to do that. If he calls me to come in in the fifth, I’ll do that as well.”
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Jun 11, 2022 11:30:51 GMT -5
Houck has changed complexion of Boston 'penJune 9th, 2022 Ian Browne Ian Browne @ianmbrowne Will he be a traditional closer? Not at this point. However, Houck’s outings will be limited to one to two innings, giving Cora the ability to use him more often. I think this is the right move, and I am not convinced that the occasional 2-inning outing is not "traditional". You have to be really careful, but using Houck as an occasional lockdown closer, and then using Schreiber or Robles for the occasional 3-run save, could work out really well. As Ian said (and as I should've copied), the last couple of Houck games were exactly the kind of games we were losing earlier. That said, we're working with a small sample here, so I don't want to take anything for granted.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Jun 11, 2022 11:35:59 GMT -5
Real happy so far with the road trip I figured the Ohtani game would be the tough one and it was really want to win the series in Seattle then head home, off day then we got Oakland, Cardinals, Tigers then the Guardians and then end June, and into the July we go back into the division with Jays (no Houck or Sale), sprinkled with a trip to Wrigley.
keep winning series, and figure out the roles in the bullpen, cuz it is the achilles heel right now. That's pretty much it. Coming into the trip, and ignoring the Oakland and LAA trends, I'd have been really happy with 2-3 at Oakland, 2-2 at LAA, and 2-3 at Seattle. Heck, a 5-5 road trip would still have been a good result.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 11, 2022 15:04:22 GMT -5
Game 60: Red Sox at Mariners lineups and notesUpdated June 11, 2022, 2 minutes ago The Red Sox are red hot, winners of eight of their last nine, and they’ll look to keep their West Coast winning ways going in Seattle on Saturday night. Michael Wacha has the ball on a hot streak of his own, having not allowed an earned run over his last two starts, including a complete game shutout against the Angels in his most recent outing. His 1.99 earned run average would be fifth among American League starters, though he doesn’t have enough innings to qualify for the leaderboard after missing a couple starts in May. The Mariners will turn to rookie righthander George Kirby, who has been solid in his first season in the majors but struggled in his only appearance against Boston. The Red Sox hung five runs on Kirby in five innings at Fenway on May 19. Lineups RED SOX (31-28): 1. Trevor Story (R) 2B 2. Rafael Devers (L) 3B 3. J.D. Martinez (R) DH 4. Xander Bogaerts (R) SS 5. Alex Verdugo (L) LF 6. Christian Vazquez (R) C 7. Franchy Cordero (L) RF 8. Bobby Dalbec (R) 1B 9. Jackie Bradley Jr. (L) CF Pitching: RHP Michael Wacha (4-1, 1.99 ERA) MARINERS (26-32): 1. Jesse Winker (L) LF 2. Ty France (R) 1B 3. Julio Rodriguez (R) CF 4. J.P. Crawford (L) SS 5. Eugenio Suarez (R) 3B 6. Adam Frazier (L) 2B 7. Abraham Toro (S) DH 8. Taylor Trammell (L) RF 9. Cal Raleigh (S) C Pitching: RHP George Kirby (1-1, 3.38 ERA) Time: 10:10 p.m. TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7 Red Sox vs. Kirby: Bogaerts 0-3, Bradley Jr. 0-2, Dalbec 0-2, Devers 1-3, Martinez 2-3, Story 2-2, Verdugo 2-3, Vázquez 1-2 Mariners vs. Wacha: Crawford 3-8, France 7-9, Frazier 4-14, Moore 0-5, Raleigh 0-3, Rodríguez 0-2, Suárez 12-31, Toro 1-4, Torrens 2-4, Trammell 0-2, Winker 4-12 Stat of the day: The Red Sox are averaging 4.68 runs per game, second in the American League only to the Yankees (4.84). Notes: Wacha threw a three-hitter Monday in a 1-0 victory against the host Los Angeles Angels. The right-hander walked one and struck out six in posting only the second shutout of his career, and the Red Sox’ first shutout of any kind since Chris Sale threw one on June 5, 2019 ... Sox starters have thrown three complete games this season, most of any team in the majors ... Wacha hasn’t had much success against Seattle, going 0-3 with an 8.27 ERA in five starts. That includes a no-decision on May 20 in Boston, when he allowed two runs on four hits in 4 ⅔ innings of what turned into a 7-3 Red Sox victory ... The Red Sox are 7-1 on this West Coast road trip. Song of the Day: Pearl Jam - Do the Evolutionwww.youtube.com/watch?v=aDaOgu2CQtI
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 11, 2022 15:08:31 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 20m Sox listing TBA as their starter for Sunday against Robbie Ray.
With a day off Monday, could have a bullpen day.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 11, 2022 17:56:01 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 5m Kutter Crawford is here.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 11, 2022 18:08:20 GMT -5
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne 16m Kutter Crawford scratched for Worcester today. He is currently in the clubhouse in Seattle. A candidate to start Sunday for sure in place of Whitlock.
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